Thirteen state cup champions from across the western United States congregated in Albuquerque, N.M., last week for the Far West Regional. That included the U17 Juventus Avanza girls soccer team based out of Redwood City, which didn't allow the fact they were short-handed keep them from making a run into the semifinals.

"Funny thing is I was telling some people if we had everyone I thought semis would be a great run," Juventus coach Ivan Bandov said. "But to do it with minus three or four starters, it's an incredible feat. They just worked really hard, put themselves in a good position. ... But they've always been a team who just steps up to the moment."

"It was a dream come true," said left back Mackenzie Person, who will be a senior at Woodside High in the fall. "Our team just got so close. Not just the team, but the parents. We just came so much tighter, like a real family. We were close before, but this was just a great experience for all of us."

Juventus played five 90-minute games in six days with only 14 girls on the roster. It didn't help that Albuquerque sits at an elevation of roughly 5,300 feet.

"You could tell that you were a little short of breath rather than in California, but it didn't dictate the game or anything," said Mountain View senior Morgan Matthews, who also plays for Bandov in high school.

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"It was really dry," Person said. "It was hard to breathe there. Our first game, we went on a jog before the game to try and get acclimated, but I don't think it really worked because we were all dying in the first game."

Without the services of central defender Gianna Rosati, a Woodside grad who signed with Cal Poly, Juventus employed a reshuffled back line and shut out its first four opponents. That included a 4-0 win over the Oregon champions in their group stage opener and scoreless draws against the teams from Washington and Utah.

"It was like our own mini World Cup in a way," said Carlmont-Belmont senior Veronica Pontis, who played right back and celebrated her 17th birthday during the tournament.

Her coach agreed.

"When you have soccer as the main focus of the world right now, just to play in this big event during that time I think was a neat added bonus," Bandov said.

In the quarterfinals, Juventus took on the Hawaii champions. Matthews found the back of the net twice in the second half to spark a 3-0 victory, with fellow forward Soha Said (Carlmont High) accounting for the other goal.

"It kind of took the pressure off our defense a bit," Bandov said. "Both her and Soha did a great job all weekend. They were the only two forwards, so they didn't really have a break. So having them play the majority of the minutes was draining on the body, but they did well."

"It was just really exciting," said Matthews, who scored three times in the tournament. "Like my coach, these games aren't like any games that you play in California. They mean a lot more."

Short-handed to begin with, Juventus lost one of its starters to a strained hamstring prior to the knockout stage. But Bandov said everyone on the team stepped up, including keeper Lauren Racioppi (Carlmont).

"I think this is the best week that I've ever seen her play," Bandov said.

"She was awesome this weekend," Person said.

The ride ended with a 2-0 loss to the Colorado champions in the semifinals, but there is plenty of soccer left this summer. The Surf Cup in Del Mar takes place at the end of the July. Before that, Juventus will compete in the Davis Legacy College Showcase, which will be the last go-round for four seniors who will be lost to graduation: Rosati, Aislinn Oka, Kailee Soares and Cayla Stillman (Menlo-Atherton).

"So that's kind of their I guess goodbye tournament you could call it," Bandov said.